BEIJING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A massive fire engulfed a newly constructed , unoccupied luxury hotel in central Beijing on Monday night as crowds watched a nearby fireworks display marking the end of Lunar New Year celebrations .

The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is unknown .

The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known and there were no reports of injuries , according to CNN staff members who were at the scene . The fire began about 9 p.m. and continued to burn an hour later .

A plume of flames shot from the top of the structure as the fire quickly spread .

iReporter Jean de Villeneuve lives about 200 yards -LRB- 200 meters -RRB- from the fire and said she watched it for about an hour before firefighters got it under control . De Villeneuve , who is originally from France , said she was surprised at how close spectators were allowed to get before authorities established a perimeter .

`` I looked and saw the huge tower full of fire , and there were hundreds of Chinese down near my apartment taking pictures , '' she said . `` If this had been the United States , you would think a perimeter would be secured , but there was nothing like that . '' Watch flames devour the hotel ''

De Villeneuve said she and others were able to get within 60 yards of the fire .

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that more than 1,000 people in the area were evacuated , `` traffic controls were imposed '' on a major highway and authorities temporarily stopped subway service on a line serving the area .

`` Snow-like ashes fell as far as -LSB- half a mile -RSB- from the building and smoke eclipsed the full moon , '' Xinhua reported of the blaze in the capital 's central business district . See photos of the blaze ''

iReporter Fred Rice , a British national who lives in Beijing , said `` the top of the building was exploding . ''

`` We were n't sure if it was gas canisters or what . It was a spectacular sight for sure , '' he said .

iReporter Stephen Chaytor said he was walking home from work when he saw the fire . Watch the hotel burn ''

`` It was spreading incredibly fast . It was obvious that there was a lot of debris on site -- that debris ignited very quickly , '' Chaytor said . `` Fire took control of building -LSB- and -RSB- within less than 13 minutes , it went from small flames to being totally engulfed in flames . ''

He said a crowd of onlookers gathered around the scene , as well as fire and emergency crews who worked to control the blaze .

`` There was a quiet concern for people that may be involved , working in the building or close to construction site , '' he said . iReport.com : Are you there ?

The fire reached past the 30th floor , but did not spread to any adjacent buildings . The hotel is next to a newly constructed tower for China Central Television -LRB- CCTV -RRB- , but no one has moved into that building either .

The blaze erupted in the final hours of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration as people set off fireworks across the city .

Xinhua reported that Beijing residents were supposed to stop selling and lighting fireworks by midnight . iReporter de Villeneuve said she suspects many people in the city were trying to use whatever remaining fireworks they had before the deadline .

`` We have been seeing fireworks for the past two weeks . I have to say this is quite a surprise , '' she said . iReport.com : Eyewitnesses worried ` building might topple '

iReporter Rice said he was watching fireworks nearby when he noticed that fireworks were being set off near the buildings .

`` Then we looked closer and saw the flames come from the top of the building , '' Rice said . `` Soon became apparent that the building was on fire . ''

The modern , angular building was a sign of Beijing 's recent transformation and modernization . It had been scheduled to open late last year , but the opening was postponed until this year , though most of the building had been constructed .

According to its Web site , the Mandarin Oriental-Beijing is the flagship property in China for the Mandarin Oriental hotel chain .

The tower stands more than 500 feet high and contains 241 rooms , Xinhua reported .

@highlight

iReporter who lives nearby says she saw `` huge tower full of fire ''

@highlight

Plume of flames shoots from top of structure as flames engulf luxury hotel

@highlight

The cause of the fire at the unoccupied 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known

@highlight

Modern , angular building a symbol of Beijing 's modernization